Education & Pedagogy

This paper seeks to make visible the legacy and endurance of Christian normativity in current global higher education policy and practice trends by making the links between the present day manifestations of these policies/practices and their Christian origins explicit, and by describing alternatives to presumably universal ideas. Global higher education policy, globalisation and the internationalisation of higher education are often described as secular phenomena, viewed as being decidedly areligious. In this view, religion is not a relevant or important lens to use when analysing trends like mobility schemes, neoliberal reforms, global university rankings, quality assurance mechanisms, and/or the proliferation of liberal education. However, religion (Christianity in particular) is embedded in many of these processes and the logics behind them. Acknowledging and understanding the role of Christian normativity in global higher education policy and practice can enable broader and more pluralistic discourse about the problems and opportunities for higher education globally.

The role of technology in special education is of great significance, yet few studies have targeted pre-service special education teachers as users of educational technology. The aim was to explore such teachers' technology perceptions: (a) purposes of and reasons for applying technologies in education; (b) factors they see affecting the use of technology in education; and (c) how these perceptions evolved between 2017 (N = 111) and 2022 (N = 86). The perceptions of students in two cohorts were investigated with quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative results indicated that students' perceptions of applying technologies for various educational purposes became more positive in the 2022 cohort. All students saw multiple factors affecting the use of technology in education. Qualitative results showed students' multiple considerations regarding both educational purposes and advancing factors. The results suggest that teacher training should provide knowledge, examples and authentic learning experiences with different technologies for the purposes of special education.

Since 2013, the Annual Review of Comparative and International Education has covered the significant developments in the field of comparative and international education. The Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2019 begins with a collection of reflection essays about comparative education trends and directions written by both professional and scholarly leaders in the field. Topics covered in the 2019 volume include major theoretical and methodological developments, reports on research-to-practice, area studies and regional developments, and the diversification of comparative and international education. A special introductory chapter builds on the assumption that scholarship and professional practice in comparative and international education often supports and encourages inclusiveness, interdisciplinarity, and contextualization in research and in the field. However, the introductory chapter interrogates the assumption that comparative and international education scholars and professionals promote these same concepts of gender equality, empowerment, and inclusiveness in the field itself. [Individual chapters are indexed in ERIC.]

This book focuses on the development of smart education in China and some countries of Central and Eastern Europe. A brief discussion on the idea of smart education was given in the introduction chapter, followed by a series of national smart education profiles of eleven countries. In detail, the profile starts with an overview of ICT in Education or smart education in the country and policies of ICT in Education or smart education. Some key features of smart education in each country were discussed with examples of best practices. The profile ends with a description of trends of smart education in the country. Based on the information above, the final chapter presents an analysis among the eleven countries with six major features they presented and concluded the book with suggestions on advancing smart education by three points.

"Using Education Indicators: A Forum Guide for State and Local Education Agencies" was developed to provide timely and useful information on education indicators, how their collection and use have changed over time, and how agencies use them strategically. Since the publication of the 2005 document "Forum Guide to Education Indicators," [see ED485637] many advancements in education have impacted indicators, including changes to data systems (such as improved longitudinal data systems), federal data collections and accountability systems, legislation, mandatory public reporting, privacy protections, and data security. This new resource highlights best practices for using indicators, adjustments over time to the collection and use of indicators, shifts in types of relevant indicators, and what possibilities local and state education agencies (LEAs and SEAs) see for the effective use of indicators in the future. [This report was prepared by the National Forum on Education Statistics' Education Indicators Working Group.]

This year's report examines the critical role community plays in education. Integrating learning that takes place inside and outside of school has always been a powerful strategy to support student success, but it gained special relevance this year, as school closures made family and community members integral parts of students' daily learning. This report provides recommendations for how schools, families, and community organizations can build on their collaboration over the past year to work toward a more equitable approach to education. [For the accompanying Data Dashboard, see ED611697. For the 2020 report, see ED603739.]

This book explores the holistic development of vocational education in Chinese education system. It investigates the vocational education policy development, student development, allocation of teachers' resources, financial mechanism and system, students' financial aid, examination and enrollment, private vocational education system, and school-enterprise cooperation. In addition, this book critically examines and epitomizes the contextualized China's vocational education reform from multiple dimensions. This book also offers an in-depth explorations and analysis of current Chinese vocational education reform comprehensively. This is a highly informative and carefully presented book, providing academic insight for scholars and researchers who are interested and work in research on China's vocational education reform in China as well as the administrators and stakeholders in Chinese education system and graduate students who majoring in the field of educational policy.

Volume 1 begins with the Commissioner of Education's introduction. Chapters include: (1) the work of the Bureau of Education; (2) a list of the writings of William Torrey Harris; (3) education in Great Britain and Ireland for the year 1906-1907; (4) education in France; (5) education in Central Europe; (6) Educational Activity in Foochow, China; (7) education in Canada; (8) education in Mexico, Uruguay, and Panama; (9) educational exhibits at the Jamestown Exhibition; (10) Report of the Second International Congress on School Hygiene; (11) the Conference for Education in the South and the Southern Education Board; (12) Charles Duncan McIver and his educational services, 1886-1906; (13) school playgrounds of America; (14) education in Hawaii, Porto Rico, and Cuba; and (15) report on the Alaska school service and on the Alaska reindeer service. The final chapters include current educational topics, periodicals and an educational directory. [For Volume 2, see ED620662.]

This book argues that the liberal arts and sciences (LAS) model of education can inspire reform across higher education to help students acquire crucial civic virtues. Based on interviews with 59 students from LAS programmes across Europe, the book posits that LAS education can develop a range of citizenship skills that are central to the democratic process. The interviews provide insight into how studying LAS prepares students for citizenship by asking them to reflect on their education, what it taught them, and how it did so. Building on these insights, seven key democratic competencies are identified and linked to concrete educational practices that foster them, leading to an agenda for higher education reform. Ultimately arguing for making the teaching of civic virtue a more central part of university education in Europe, this book will appeal to researchers, educators, and politicians with an interest in education policy, philosophy of education, and democratic theory, as well as concerned citizens.

This is Volume 2 of the Report of the Commissioner of Education for the Year 1891-'92, containing Parts 2 and 3. Part 2 covers the topics: (1) Name Register; (2) City School Systems; (3) Secondary Schools; (4) Universities and Colleges; (5) Colleges for Women; (6) The Place of University Extension in American Education; (7) The Relation of the Independent Colleges to the System of State Schools; (8) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; (9) United States Military Academy at West Point; (10) The Care of Truants and Incorrigibles; (11) Coeducation of the Sexes in the United States; (12) Education of the Colored Race; (13) Report on Education in Alaska; and (14) History of Summer Schools in the United States. Part 3 covers Statistical Tables. [For Volume 1, see ED622036.]

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MK) has had a digital agenda led by the Ministry of Information Society and Administration since 2008. The key players in the development of digital skills in vocational education and training (VET) are the Ministry of Education and Science, the Centre for Vocational Education and Training (VET Centre), the Centre for Adult Education, the Bureau for the Development of Education and the State Education Inspectorate. The VET Strategy 2013-2020 and subsequent Action Plan 'Better skills for better tomorrow' highlight the value of ICT [information and communications technology] in teaching and learning for developing digital skills among VET students. This factsheet provides statistics, examples, and the vision and policy of digital skills for VET students, digital skills for VET teachers and trainers, digital and online learning in initial VET, and digital and online learning in continuing VET.

The "Education in Brazil: An International Perspective" report was developed drawing on internationally comparative data on education in Brazil, in particular the extensive range of data collected by the OECD through its surveys. The experiences of other countries and how they have tackled challenges similar to those now faced by Brazil, along with the insights from consultations with key national experts, also inform the analysis. The report benchmarks with OECD and a set of comparator emerging economies the whole education system from early childhood education and care to tertiary education, focusing on: (1) Access and participation; (2) Learning and labour market outcomes; (3) The allocation, use and efficiency of financial, human and material resources; (4) School leaders, teachers and teaching; and (5) The school climate and student well-being. The report highlights the many strengths of Brazil's education system, identifies the main challenges ahead and offers policy implications for the future.

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) U.S. Senators Harkin and Enzi Release Draft Language to Revise NCLB: Senate Committee to Consider Draft Containing Important Provisions for Nation's High Schools; (2) What's the Scenario?: U.S. Department of Education Releases Additional Details on Fiscal Year 2012 Funding Levels; (3) Education for Tomorrow's Jobs: New Legislation Would Combine Rigorous College Prep with Workplace Experience; (4) Gov. Bob Wise Announces Digital Learning Day, February 1, 2012: First National Day Around Digital Learning to Be Focused on Personalized Learning and Effective Teaching; and (5) "Education at a Glance": New OECD Report Finds That Education Pays in the United States More So Than in Most Countries. (Contains 2 footnotes.)

Although equity-oriented discourse is working to move the mathematics education community from achievement-gap rhetoric toward a focus on opportunity gaps, it does not currently recognize the role of space and the politics of space in creating and maintaining opportunity gaps as it relates to mathematics education in urban settings. The purpose of this paper is to engage the task of reconceptualizing urban mathematics education by proposing a framework for scholarship, policy, and practice. The authors engage scholarship in mathematics education, urban education, critical geography, and urban sociology to substantiate a socio-spatial framework for urban mathematics education, which features a visual schematic that locates mathematics teaching and learning--vis-à-vis a mathematics-instructional triad--within a system of socio-spatial considerations relevant to U.S. urban contexts. [For the complete proceedings, see ED583989.]

We may examine the relationship between higher education and economic growth by comparing the Republic of Korea to the Republic of India. How do political educational decisions impact economic growth? Although both countries began with relatively underdeveloped economies at the time of their independence in the late 1940s, these two countries took different trajectories in organizing their higher education systems. Korea's strategic and sustained investment in education (along with the private sector) has helped the economy to soar. India, on the other hand, has neither strategized nor channeled its resources for the development of higher education. India appears to have been fallen prey to a competency trap, the presumption of many policymakers that secondary and higher education may not be central to economic growth. Her economy will continue to suffer until political commitment shifts and the country massively invests in higher education, thus unlocking vast potential.